1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to stuffed toy figures having a humanoid or animal-like form, and more particularly to an assembly of a figure including this type in whose torso is housed a magnetic tape audio cassette player which cooperates with an earphone headset worn by the child carrying the figure so that the child then listens to a reproduced recording supplied to the earphones by the figure dangling from the headset.
2. Status of Prior Art
The 1991 patent to Stone U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,149 discloses a stuffed toy figure such as a Teddy Bear provided with compartments for storing a children's book, drawing paper and crayons, and an audio cassette player, these constituting audio and visual educational material. When this material is withdrawn from the compartments and put to educational use by a child, the Teddy Bear in no way participates in this activity, nor does it interact with the child who plays with this soft figure.
In my above-identified co-pending patent application, there is disclosed a stuffed toy figure whose animal-like or humanoid form resembles that of an established character such as MICKEY MOUSE or BIG BIRD. This figure includes a compartment in its torso which accommodates a magnetic tape audio cassette whose recording is related to the character. When this cassette is removed from the figure and inserted in a nearby cassette player, the child holding the figure then hears the reproduced recording which simulates the voice of the character and seemingly speaks to the child, inducing the child to respond to questions and to manipulate the figure in various ways. Thus the child interacts with the particular character represented by the figure he is holding.
In the Stone arrangement, the stuffed figure serves only as a storage compartment for a magnetic tape cassette player, and if the child wishes to put this player to use, he must remove it from the figure, place an audio tape cassette therein, and listen to whatever is recorded on the tape. The operation of the cassette player is, therefore, in no way related to the handling of the figure by the child, whereas in my co-pending application, it is only the audio magnetic tape cassette which is housed in the figure and the player therefor is extrinsic to the figure.